Furniture construction



M. MARTIN 1,998,326

FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 16, 1935.

l 16, 1935. M MARTIN FURNITURE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 14, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'Patented Apr. 16, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a resilient supporting construction for furniture, such as chairs, lounges, davenports, ottomans, and like pieces of furniture.

5 The cushion springs of such pieces of furniture are usually supported by cross webbing or 'by a sub-frame structure secured to the furniture frames. When webbing is used for this purpose, it is likely to\tear away or stretch in use, causing the seat to sag and to become uncomfortable to sit upon. The use of metal or wooden 'sub-frames of types heretofore employed materially increases the cost of the furniture and necessitates the use of resilient springs for supporting the sub-frame,

these springs being customarily disposed in a horizontal plane. At times when the furniture is excessively loaded or when the springs become stretched, through continued usage, the subframe and. springs are likely to sag to a position visible beneath the frame of the furniture. Cushion supporting springs, or cushion springs, mounted upon such sub-frames are likely to vibrate under exure, as when loads are applied to the furniture, and sometimes co-act with the sub-frame to set up annoying squeaks or other noises. The sub-frames must necessarily extend substantially over the entire seat area in order to adequately support all of the cushion springs and in some types heretofore used, have comprised quite complicated net works of wire.

The present invention relates primarily to a sub-frame construction wherein a single plate or sheet of metal is used to support all of the cushion springs, and is resiliently supported by., other springs connected to the furniture frame. In order to minimize the requisite thickness of the metal plate, the supporting springs are attached to medial portions of the plate, and in order to avoid undue sagging of the sub-frame, which might cause the sub-frame to become visible beneath the furniture frame, are inclined upwardly from the sub-frame whereby slight elongation of the supporting springs will result in a likewise slight -sagging of the sub-frame. In

order to further strengthen the construction and to permit of a lighter sub-frame plate wire reinforcing means are disposed beneath the subframe and parts of this reinforcing means are extended upwardly to provide means for engaging the sub-frame supporting springs.

The present invention further comprehends a layer of fabric insulating material disposed along the upper surface of the metal plate of the sub-frame and between the sub-frame and the cushion springs supported thereby to avoid Cil squeaks being set up by metal to metal contact of these parts. Means are also formed from the body of the metal plate to engage the insulating material to positively retain it in place and to engage the cushion springs to retain them in l place.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of one typical embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying draw- 10 ings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of an article of furniture embodying the features of construction of the present invention, portions thereof being broken away. 15

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the article shown in Fig. 1, portions thereof being broken away and being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective View showing one corner of the construction illustrated in 20 Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a complete subframe, other portions of the furniture construction being omitted. v

Fig. 5 is a. fragmentary vertical sectional View 25 taken substantially along line 5 5 of Fig. 4 and depicting the construction of one edge of the sub-frame.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken through a medial portion of the sub-frame substantially 30 along line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a detail partialsectional view through a part of the front portion of the main frame for a chair or the like showing supplemental supporting springs for the sub-frame to augment the 35 coil springs.

As shown in the drawings, wherein an ottoman is depicted, the main frame I0 is of substantially rectangular form and extends substantially around the periphery of the article, being sup- 40 i ported at its four corners by legs II. Hooks I2, opening upwardly, `are provided at spaced intervals about the entire inside periphery of the frame I0 and serve to secure the upper ends of coil springs I3 which resiliently support a sub' 45 frame indicated generally at I4. 'I'he sub-frame includes a substantially rectangular plate I5 of contour similar to that of the frame I0. 'I'he marginal portions of the plate are return bent as indicated at I6 to overlie and positively retain 50 a layer of burlap or other insulating material I1 which is extended across the upper surface of the plate.

A substantiallyrectangular loop of wire I8 for reinforcing the plate I5 extends therebeneath and 55 has formed thereon a plurality of upturned U- shaped sections or loops Il, which extend through apertures formed in the plate, and which are engaged by the lower ends of the springs I3 for supporting the sub-frame upon the frame Il. It will be noted that the sides of the reinforcing loop Il are disposed a substantial distance .from the margin of the plate Il so that the area disposed within the loop I8 is substantially equal to the area lbetween the periphery of the loop Il and the periphery of the plate Il so that cushion means disposed upon and supported by the sub-frame sheet will not impose undue strains upon any part of it.A

Helical cushion springs 2li which are preferably of the double conical type, are disposed upon the upper surface of the sub-frame I4. being spaced from the plate I by the insulating material I1. Ears 2I are struck upwardly from the plate I5 and are bent over the lower convolutions of the helical cushion springs to secure them to the sub-frame structure. As shown in Fig. l, the upper convolutions of the cushion springs are secured in the desired relation by cross webbing 22 which may comprise strands of cord or wire. A rectangular wire frame or edge wire 23 also serves to join the upper convolutions of the outer or marginal cushion springs and generally defines the upper outline of the seat. Conventional padding 24 is disposed on top of the springs and webbing and a covering 25 may be extended thereover and secured in any desired manner to the frame I0.

In the illustrated construction, where a single cushion spring is supported by the plate I5 medially thereof, all of the remaining cushion springs being disposed marginally, the reinforcing loop ls located only slightly inwardly of the axis of the marginal cushion springs, this disposition being along a line which is the locus of the centers of the forces exerted by the downward pressures of all of the cushion springs, so that the total moment of forces about the line outwardly of the reinforcing loop will equal the total moment of forces about the line inwardly of the loop. In the illustrated form therefore, the marginal springs will lie almost directly above the reinforcing wire, the latter in turn being supported by the springs I3 at points between adjacent marginal cushion springs.

It will now be understood that the present invention provides a simple and durable sub-frame construction, the cushion springs being completely insulated from the one-piece sheet metal subframe base by the insulating material I1, whereby the occurrence of squeaks or other obnoxious noises is precluded. The marginal portions of the f sheet insulating material are securely held in place by the return bent portions of the plate I5, and the medial portions are held in place by the upwardly extending loops I9 of the reinforcing member and by the ears 2|, whose primary function is to retain the lower ends of the cushion springs. 'Ihe springs I3, connected at their lower ends to the loops I9, provide adequate support for the sub-frame structure and in turn, for the cushion springs, since the loops I9 are disposed at medial portions of the sub-frame.

The inclined relation of the springs I3 obviates the likelihood of undue sagging of the sub-frame which would allow the springs I3 and the subframe to become visible beneath the frame I0, since slight elongation of the springs I3 can produce only a correspondingly slight sagging of Lacasse the sub-frame structure. This inclined relation ofthesprlngs Ilalsopermitsoftheuseoflighter subframesupportingspringsthanwwldbepos sible withspringsdisposedin almrizontal plane.

Ithasbeenfoundinpracticethatthefrontof theplateatthefrontofachairorother'similar pieceoffurnituremayhaveatendencytosag slightly. due' to persons using the furniture and sitting onthefrontedgesoftheseat. Thiswill place most of the weight on the helical springs disposed along thefront side of the frame and withconstantuseinthiswaythissaggingmay become apparent. In order to obviate such difficulty in chairs and the like additional coil springs Il may be used at the front of the piece of furniture. It has also been found desirable tousesmallcoilspringsinplaceofadding additional springs I2 in which the springs 2l are connected to the front edge of plate Il and to the adjacent portion of frame Il by means of hooks 21 asshowninFig.7. Thiswillserve to maintain a proper support and balance for the sub-frame.

It will further be understood that the article herein described is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that these principles may be utilized in other articles of furni ture having different structural forms and different structural relationships.

What is claimed is:

1. In a furniture construction, a substantially rectangular frame, a sheet metal cushion supporting member disposed within the confines of said frame, a wire reinforcing unit disposed beneath said sheet metal member and embracing medial portions thereof, and a plurality of springs connecting said wire reinforcing member to said frame for supporting the wire and sheet metal member as a unit, said springs being inclined downwardly from said frame to said reinforcing member, and a plurality of cushion springs supported by said metal member.

2. In a furniture construction, a substantially rectangular frame, a metallic plate disposed centrally of said frame, reinforcing means extending beneath and engaging medial portions of said plate, loops formed on said reinforcing means and extending upwardly through said plate, and spring means connecting the frame and said loops'.

3. In a sub-frame construction for articles of furniture, a sheet metal plate, a reinforcing loop of wire disposed beneath said plate and engaging medial portions thereof, upwardly bent U-shaped sections formed on said reinforcing loop and extending through apertures formed in said plate for providing means to be engaged by springs for supporting the sub-frame construction.

4. A cushion supporting sub-frame for furniture constructions comprising a sheet metal plate of area substantially equal to the area of the cushion, a wire reinforcing loop disposed beneath said metal plate, loops formed on said reinforcing member and extending upwardly through apertures formed in said plate, a layer of insulating material disposed upon the upper surface of said plate, and ears struck out from said plate for engaging cushion springs and extending through said layer of insulating material, the marginal portions of said metal plate being return bent to engage over the marginal portions of said layer of insulating material.

MYER MARTIN. 

